Friday, April 11, 2008

Just a few days ago the Red Cross of Thailand banned blood from gay and bisexual men. Queers United sent out an action alert. Activism does make the difference because the headline today from the AFP states:

The Red Cross of Thailand said Friday that it would change its screening process for blood donors to address concerns from activists who said the system discriminated against gays.

Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations.

The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said.